Sarah Netanyahu Denies Mistreating Housekeeper

Sarah Netanyahu testifies in lawsuit against her. Former housekeeper "is not what she claims to be,” she tells the court.<br/>

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Maayana Miskin, 15/07/12 20:16

Sarah Netanyahu

Israel news photo: Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s wife Sarah testified Sunday in a suit brought by a former housekeeper. Sarah Netanyahu told the court that not only did she not mistreat the housekeeper, Lilian Peretz, but she even gave her better treatment than was called for.

“I sometimes paid her extra to show good will,” she testified. “The house wasn’t always as clean as one would expect, we sometimes found cockroaches or a spider web, but we preferred not to make a fuss about it.”

Peretz sometimes borrowed money from the Netanyahu family, and never repaid it, she said. She said Peretz had exaggerated regarding the housework she was expected to do.

Sarah Netanyahu told the court that Peretz “was not a frightened, poor little thing like she claimed to be.”

She was backed by Chani Dayan-Bleveiss, a former secretary at the Netanyahu household. Dayan-Bleveiss rebuffed Peretz’s claims that Sarah Netanyahu required her to call her “Mrs. Netanyahu.” Peretz often referred to Sarah Netanyahu as Saraleh or “Sarah, kapparah” (a term of endearment -- ed.), she testified.

The judge suggested that Netanyahu and Peretz try to reach a compromise. Peretz has rejected the suggestion; Netanyahu has yet to respond.